Trusting the Man in Black
by sickleforyourthoughts
Summary: Harry's summer at the Dursley's was horrible (as usual), but Dobby's cake incident made things even worse for the Boy Who Lived. Back at Hogwarts, will anyone notice Harry's injuries, or will they all be too caught up in his fame? Will Harry be able to lend his trust to a man in black, or will the man's past be too much for Harry to take? Severitus, set in Harry's second year.
1. Chapter 1

This is my first fic so... Here goes nothing!

Disclaimer: I (unfortunately) own nothing except my plotline. All characters belong to J.K. Rowling.

Onward!

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The train's soft rumble slowly lulled Harry to sleep as views of the Scottish countryside flew by through the compartment's window. Harry smiled slightly as he realized, right before falling asleep, that he was finally coming back home.

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"Think he's feeling alright?" Hermione asked, concerned. Harry had just fallen asleep, which was surprising- usually on the train to Hogwarts, he was ecstatic to get back to school (that and the sugar high from chocolate frogs was always enough to keep him awake).

"Maybe all your talk of studying put him to sleep, 'Mione. Merlin knows you probably spent the whole summer reading," Ron snickered, shoving another Cauldron Cake in his mouth.

Hermione rolled her eyes at the boy's teasing, then wrinkled her nose at his disgusting eating habits. "You know, Ron, you should really eat less. You just about bought half the sweets from the trolley," she said in a mocking tone. Then Hermione sobered up a bit. "But really, do you think Harry's feeling alright?"

Ron frowned, looking hard at his best mate, who was currently snoring softly. "I hope his summer wasn't too bad. Think his relatives fed him enough?" Both Hermione and Ron knew the answer to that question, although neither admitted the truth. Instead, they talked of quidditch and spells. Neither mentioned what they thought happened at Harry's summer, but the thought still lingered over their train compartment, a dark cloud of sadness.

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"Wake up, Harry! You've got to change into your robes!" Ron said, roughly shaking the boy awake.

Harry woke with a start, slamming his back into the compartment's wall. "Ughhhhhhhhhhh...really, Ron, couldn't you have been a bit more gentle?" Hermione frowned from the other side of their compartment, giving Harry a calculating look. She was a bit disturbed by his flinching when Ron had shaken him.

"Merlin's beard, Hermione, you're gonna stare a hole straight through his head!" Ron said, noticing his friend's look at Harry.

Harry laughed, a true smile lighting up his tired face, and Hermione didn't have the heart to reprimand Ron. Harry had seemed a bit off so far on the train, so both Ron and Hermione were happy to see him smile.

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A/N: Don't kill me for the tiny chapter! I promise they'll start getting longer the more I get the hang of writing this fic. Next up, first years get sorted and the opening feast!

Reviews are more than welcome! Please please please please review!


	2. Chapter 2

**Here's a longer chapter than last time as I promised. Currently I'm also reading Chamber of Secrets to catch up on my details. I'll try to update soon but no promises are being made- my weeks are busy with school (unfortunately) and sports.**

 **Disclaimer: I own...*drumroooooollllll* Nothing! Nada! Zilch! And Zero! Everything belongs to J.K. Rowling. Sigh. If only.**

 **Onward, peasants!**

 ***EDIT* Ahhhhh! I just realized a detail that could completely throw my plot off. So in Harry's second year, him and Ron fly to Hogwarts in the Ford. Well, scratch that. In this fic, Dobby decided to take a little day off from terrorizing Sir Harry Potter Sir, and DID NOT mess up the barrier to platform 9 3/4. Therefore, Harry and Ron decided to be nice little boys and not steal the flying car. Instead, they used the train. Sorry for the little mix up. Oops! Okay, now you can read the** **fic for real:**

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The Hogwarts Express rolled to a stop, letting out a final puff of steam and stopping its wheels. Harry came out of the loo from changing into his robes (and cautiously reapplying his Glamour- you could never be too careful), a smile wide across his face. "C'mon, let's go!" he said to his friends, eager to get back to the castle.

"Merlin, mate, you're turning into Hermione. Who would've thought; how can you insane people want to get back to _school_?" Ron said, shaking his head in mock disgust.

Harry punched him playfully in the shoulder, grinning, while Hermione snorted indignantly, "Seriously, you two, could you get any more immature?" she shook her head."Boys, I'll never understand them."

"Well, at least the confusion is mutual, 'Mione. I'd be seriously freaked out if you actually understood us," said Harry, fake shivering to Ron. "It'd be absolutely terrifying, wouldn't it, mate!" Harry and Ron quickly darted out of the train, before they could face Hermione's wrath, laughing like madmen; it was just so fun to grate on Hermione's nerves, they couldn't help it!

"There yer are! I'd been wonderin' when you lot'd show up!" Hagrid beamed down at the two boys, pulling them in gruffly for a hug. Harry winced and hissed into the giant's robes, his back was on fire.

After swallowing the lump in his throat,- that had really, really hurt Harry's abused back- Harry finally managed to say, "It's great to see you, too, Hagrid!" Ron nodded his consent, then they both jumped into a carriage. "Wow, what are these things, Hagrid?" Harry asked, referring to the thestrals manning the carriages.

"What's what?" Ron said, oblivious.

Hagrid gave Harry a sad look. "They're thestrals, Harry," he cleared his throat before continuing, in barely a whisper, "Only those who've witnessed a death'r able to see 'em."

Harry's spirits dampened slightly, but he was fully happy by the time they made it to the castle, just in time for the opening feast. Harry winced slightly as he sat down at his house table. Uncle Vernon had not been kind with his backside over the summer, and it still hurt Harry immensely to sit down. The man had given him a "goodbye present" before he left, which was the belt on Harry's poor, already raw bum and back. He mentally cursed both his uncle and Dobby. The blasted elf had made his relatives furious! It was _not_ something Harry wanted to ever repeat. Despite the annoying house elf's warnings, Harry still went back to Hogwarts. Did Dobby really expect him to stay away? Hogwarts was his home, after all. Harry was jostled out of his (quite depressing) thoughts by the sorting's start. The Sorting Hat sang its song, and the nervous first years were called up, one by one, to sit on the stool and have their fate decided. Ron looked rather anxious as his sister, Ginny, was called up last to be sorted. "Gryffindor!" the Hat shouted, and the Gryffindor table exploded with applause and cheering. Ginny sat next to Ron, Harry, and Hermione, looking rather embarrassed but also pleased.

"Always knew you'd be a lion, Ginny! Good job, you've carried on the family legacy. Can you imagine, a Weasley in Slytherin?" Ron said, grinning at his sister.

"Y'know, Ginny, Ron here actually seemed a bit anxious for your sorting. Such a sweet big brother," Harry teased his mate, winking at Ginny.

"Oh, it doesn't surprise me, Harry. Ickle Ronniekins is always such a sweetheart. He's always concerned if I'm alright," Ginny fired back, grinning impishly at Harry.

"I've seen him all worried, too, about his little sister. He tries to hide it, but I suppose he can't help the brotherly love," Hermione added, while Harry and Ginny burst out laughing.

"Oi, shut up, you lot. I do nothing of the sort," Ron said, but his ears were bright red. Harry suddenly felt ravenous, and dug in to his plate full of food. He looked up, seeing his friends do the same. But soon enough, his food was gone and Harry felt like he had eaten a whole Hippogriff. He was actually quite proud of all that he ate. Usually back at Hogwarts, his stomach couldn't hold very much food at first; after getting half starved by his relatives, he had to build up his food capacity slowly. As the Gryffindors were herded to their tower, Harry smiled contentedly. He was finally home!

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 **The very end of this chapter was bad, I know. How are you liking the Golden Trio so far? Next update might not be till a week or so, sorry. I'm going to be extremely busy this week!**

 **Next up: Harry's night of sleep is anything but restful...**


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